Green Builder Online Archive

The following issues are available for online viewing. This is a flash/html5 version. If you want to download a pdf for offline reading (or printing) later, click HERE.(***Note: Some archived print versions are available for purchase here.)

New Products, new design concepts and changing expectations are transforming these pivotal living spaces. Throw in 3-D printing, and almost anything goes. Are you ready to rethink the most improtant rooms in the modern house?

From geothermal systems to water-saving faucets, complete wall assemblies to advanced solar panels, this year's short list of leading products shows just how far and fast the industry is moving toward sustainability.

In the final chapter of our year-long Celestia Project, we look at the push and pull of human interactions. As the Internet of Things connects us ever more closely with technology, how do we maintain the bonds of community and family?

As man-made carbon emisissions pass dangerous new levels, the production of high-intensity materials such as concrete and steel threatens to make matters much worse. What can the building industry do to lighten the Earth's load?

New thinking about water conservation could head off many of the worst scenarios of deprivation and desertification. The right combination of "fit to purpose" water supplies, along with changes in our diet, clothing and sanitary practices could restore the balance.

Our annual building science issue includes a special focus on renewable energy. Recent innovations, especially in solar cells, could turn our current energy portfolio upside down. Get ready for a new age of geothermal heating, Passive House construction and smart conservation.

Special Eco-Leaders Report: See who made the list! Plus, emerging building technology has the potential to solve many of our biggest challenges: labor shortages, volatile material costs - even poor durability. It's time to let machines do the dirty work, and create the green buildings and cities of our imaginations.

As population rises and climate change looms, the best hope for future generations is rapid and thoughtful urbanization: living closer and living smaller, but also living better. here's how we can make it happen.

The way forward begins with food security. This month, as part of the first chapter of The Celestia Project, we imagine the kitchen of the future: an exploration of the trends and technology likely to shape our lives over the next century.

Our annual Landscaping Guide looks at new techniques and innovations that are making fresh water management easier and more affordable. Can we achieve the same gains with water conservation that we have with zero-net-energy construction?

The seeds of a sustainability revolution have taken root, and they're growing into something much bigger - from solar electric vehicles to gravity-powered lighting to crowdsourced community planning, the future looks bright.

We often talk about durability as a key aspect of sustainability. But what about materials and structures that can be easily dismantled, moved - or simply allowed to biodegrade? In this year's Alternative Construction Update, we look at the idea of "temporary" and earth-based housing as legitimate answers to some of the world's ongoing environmental woes.

American college students once more have shown what the sun-powered housing of the future could look like. This year's Solar Decathlon demonstrates that the U.S. could lead the way in sustainable living. All it takes is thinking differently about how housing should look and function.

When is solar hot water a viable, practical upgrade? What's the best way to retrofit an apartment building? Do range hoods perform as advertised? This month, we tackle some tough, important questions about performance, to help you make the most of your construction and renovation budgets.

In this, our annual Eco-Leadership issue, we take a closer look at companies that are manufacturing green building products here in the United States. It's a trend that's being driven by both market and cultural forces.

Good design has been proven to not only make people want to buy things. It also influences their behavior. Can today's product and building designers re-imagine forms in such a way that they become desirable, sought after features?

As the great downsizing continues, compact housing has come of age - thanks to truly innovative small house floorplans, packed with multi-purpose products and amenities. The future is small, smart and super efficient.

In this special issue, seven leading innovators and thinkers talk about sustainability, from car sharing to wildlife conservation, from green cities to radical ways we might repair our nation's dysfunctional politics.

When does upgrading a furnace make more sense than adding insulation? Which wall system delivers the best performance for the buck? New research and powerful software can offer precise comparisons before the first contractor's truck arrives on the job site.

Our annual look at alternative to stick-framed housing goes way outside the comfort zone for most American buyers. But ideas that are ahead of their time today may offer the solutions we need for the future.

Our annual Design Idea Guide features some of the best built, most self-sufficent homes and multi-family units we've ever seen. These conscious, clever designs tread lightly on the planet, with respect for the natural world apparent in every material choice.

Our annual Hands-On Handbook presents nine how-to projects with various levels of difficulty. Each one aims to reduce some aspect of a home's environmental impact - whether by improving durability, collecting rainwater or controlling the variables that cause paint to fail.

Find out which companies are doing more to save resources, reduce waste and generally act as better corporate citizens. We go outside the building industry to look at 10 environmental initiatives that are worth emulating.

New evidence of the impact of humans on the environment leaves no room for doubt. We're in big trouble, and so are thousands of the species at our mercy. Will we rise to the challenge and become stewards of the Earth, or pay the ultimate price?